Bill #:2576

Addressing public records disputes

Companion bill #:No Companion Bill.

Summary/AWC comments

Unfortunately, in spite of all of the efforts by cities and the hard work of the cosponsors, HB 2576 was not voted on by the House and is dead for the session. Cosponsors Representatives Joan McBride (D-Kirkland) and Terry Nealey (R-Dayton) worked tirelessly with stakeholders and other legislators to bring the bill up for a vote in the House. However, in the end, concerns based on opposition to the bill from the Washington Coalition for Open Government and the news media led to the bill’s demise.

Representative McBride successfully added funding to the House budget for the Ruckelshaus Center to study issues around public records. AWC will continue to work on this issue and engage stakeholders over the interim in preparation for the 2017 session.

Thank you to everyone who helped with HB 2576. Your voices were very important to raising awareness of the public records challenges facing cities.

Bill Summary:

HB 2576 has two main components:

It allows local agencies to adopt policies to limit the time and resources spent responding to records requests. Currently cities and other local agencies are struggling to deal with voluminous requests. These often get in the way of day-to-day work activities and other public records requests.

It establishes a Public Records Commission responsible for alternative dispute resolution for public records disputes. The Commission will provide an opportunity for jurisdictions to seek alternatives to court action.